Planning Senior Cap & Gown Photos

It’s time to start planning your cap & gown photos. Whether you’re incorporating a cap and gown into your senior portrait session or doing a stand along with photoshoot, these tips will help you prepare for your session.

*Cue the confetti toss

Let’s bring your senior year to an exciting finish!

Packing your graduation cap, tassel, stole, and gown

It may seem obvious now, but make sure you double-check that you have your graduation cap, tassel, stole, and gown before your session. It’s easy to forget something by accident, especially when it’s a smaller item, like your tassel. Additionally, I suggest hanging your graduation gown and stole to keep them wrinkle-free for photos.

Try your outfit(s) on ahead of time

Purchasing a new outfit for graduation is common. Try on your new outfit ahead of time to check that it has a flattering fit with your gown. Coordinating colors look great as opposed to blending in with the gown color. In addition to your gown, hanging your outfit pieces will prevent wrinkling too.

Customizing your cap

Before customizing your cap, check that your school allows for this. Not all schools let you customize your cap. You won’t want to be without a cap to wear when graduation day comes around. However, if you can personalize it, bring it along to add your unique personality to the cap and gown session.

Bringing Props

While props aren’t necessary for your photoshoot, incorporating them can be a fun way to celebrate. Here are a few popular prop ideas:

• Confetti – Your school colors will be great!

• Balloons

• Sparkling cider for popping (or champagne for the college seniors)

• Sports gear (ex: basketball, soccer ball, goggles, etc.)

Friends

Have you thought about getting cap & gown photos with friends? This is bound to make the session even more fun and gives you quality photos with some of your favorite people! Before bringing your friends along, communicate to your photographer that this is your plan. The pricing and planning of the session may be influenced by this.

College gear

If you have a longer session that allows for an outfit change, bringing college gear (hats, shirts, sweatshirts) can be used to show your future plans, particularly for high school seniors. That being said, college seniors can still wear college gear to represent their time on campus.